Mur!
Indeed, tiny pokemon, we aren’t all dead!
You received a letter from Aster!
Mur murrr!
Aw, who delivered a letter? Is it you? It is!
And…now you’re running off? No, come back!
“I was finally able to bring everything to an end.”
“I thank you for that.”
“I think I’ll spend some time now trying to find out if it’s also possible to forge a new beginning for something once lost.”
“Until we meet again,
Zinnia.”
Cut to the space center and its complement of Nazi scientists.
The energy reading appears to be diffusing! W-we can confirm that the meteoroid has been destroyed, sir!
Puh… P-P-P-P-P-P-Professor! The meteoroid! The meteoroid–it’s–! Thank the powers above! It’s–!
Calm yourself, man! Oh, who am I kidding! I’m so happy, I could kiss you! We did it! We actually did it! Wahahahaha! Success is ours! Hahahaha…ha… Hah…
“…Fuck, maybe telling everyone about the fact we have pikachu furnaces wasn’t necessary.”
Thank you, Lucki.
Also Zinnia who kind of did like all of this? Just saying?
We then find ourselves with Wally.
I’ll be leaving, then. Good-bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!
W-wait just a minute! Wally! shouts his father.
That’s right! agrees his mother. Are you OK? You looked like you were in trouble recently when those strange thugs came around…
Of course! chirps Wally. My Pokemon and I are fit for anything! See, Lucki got my Key Stone back for me. And Mr. Norman gave me a ticket to a resort that sounds really neat.
I’m guessing that’s some new area that opened up.
I can’t wait to go and check it out!
If it’s the whole battle variants thing, eh.
My, my… I never dreamed I would one day think that Wally was TOO well… says Wally’s dad, presumably with a lump in his throat as he finally gives up his dream of cashing the life insurance policy.
Yes… But he looks so honestly happy…that I can’t help but feel happy, too, replies the mom. Glad you’re willing to accept maybe not murdering your child as an okay outcome!
Then it’s Team Magma time. Game, look. They’re the enemy team. I really just don’t care that much about if they get a happily ever after, okay? Your attempts to humanize them are just really awkward.
… says Maxie.
… says Courtney.
… says Maxie.
… says Courtney.
… says Maxie.
… says Courtney.
Uwaahhh! spikyboxes Tabitha. This conversation isn’t proceeding as expected!
Ugh… says Maxie, clearly no more a fan of this “feelings” nonsense than I am.
If it has come to this, then I, Tabitha, shall handle this myself! He takes a breath and spikyboxes: Courtney!
Y-yes?!
Apologize to Leader Maxie!
Why the hell should she.
Hu-huh?! Ow…ch…
Hurry up! OK?! Just say, “Sorry!”
I’m sorry! Leader Maxie, I’m sorry! I won’t do it…anymore! I’ll never do anything…like that…again! So please… Forgive… Forgive me.
?! spikyboxes Maxie somehow, spinning around and entering the conversation, such as it is.
Wah…wah… Sniffle…
What are you–?!
Sniff…sniffle… Ohhh…ooh…
… says Maxie.
… says Maxie.
Fine. I understand. Courtney. I, the great Maxie, will forgive you. But only on one condition!
Huh?!
? agrees Tabitha. Incidentally, the water version, is it basically the same?
You must…also forgive me. Courtney. I never imagined… I never could have imagined… How very loyal you were to me. Nor did I imagine even one iota of the shock you must have experienced, due to my recent speech and conduct, or how it could have pained you. The one who drove you to such an extreme act was me. I am truly sorry for that. You see, Courtney, I would like to start on a new path. There are truths that I have learned because of the mistakes I have made. They pit me against others who are not like me and against ideas that differ from mine. They tell me of the important of understanding these others, even though we may continue to cause pain to one another. And that holds true whether the opponent I face is human, Pokemon, or even the might of nature itself.
I am not sure you actually learned much of a lesson, then.
I will take this step forward, free from hesitation, and meet my foe. And together we will find a way to create, not destroy. Or so I hope. That is the vision that I, Maxie, have for Team Magma’s future. Will you come with me on this journey as well? Courtney.
Wahh… Uwahh… Waahhh! Waahhh… Of course I will!
My… You certainly do cry a lot.
Yeah, that’s been really bugging me too.
Ahyahya! cackles Tabitha with the creepiest face. And that settles that! Ahyahyahyahya!
And so we end the Magma portion and head to the Hitler Jr portion.
I still owe you for your help at the Sky Pillar, Hitler Jr says to Wallace. Thank you for that.
Hahaha! How unlike you to be so thoughtful.
Heh… You know, this experience really brought it home for me again… That there is still so much about this world that I do not know.
But no second thoughts about the pikachu furnaces, apparently.
I wonder what would have happened to Hoenn… If Lucki had not been here to aid us with this, and the incident with the super-ancient Pokemon… I alone was powerless to stop either.
Well, not exactly. I mean, your pikachu furnaces would apparently have done the job of genociding alt-Hoenn if your evil device hadn’t been wrecked.
There is no one person in this world who knows all. None who can do all, replies Wallace.
And yet we appear to be getting all this without anyone actually referring to Zinnia, because ???
Steven… There is no cause for such worries or concern.
Hmm. Heh, replies Hitler Jr. Don’t worry. It’s not that I am so shocked by my own disappointing performance. But rather…
Rather what?
I was just thinking how much more there is I must learn about nature…about Pokemon…and about my fellow humans as well…
“…before I can find a way to squeeze even more energy out of murdering them!”
If I am to keep living in this huge, wide world, I want to walk this wold on my own two feet. To see it with my own eyes.
Weren’t you already doing this? What with the being buddies with surprisingly tolerant of Nazis mythical dragons?
To feel it on my very skin… I need to put into practice all of the advice I ever gave to Lucki. That’s what I am thinking now.
A giant question mark pops out of Wallace’s head at this. Same, Wallace. He elaborates, …? Steven… You can’t intend to…
Hah hah hah! responds Hitler Jr. But no need to fear… I won’t disappear all at once. I’ll still be around doing my duty on behalf of the Pokemon League. But, hmm… When the time does come for me to pursue my own hopes… Well… I hope that you, Wallace, will be behind me to lend a hand.
… replies Wallace. Hmph. It seems I have little choice. I bow to the whims of the pampered heir. I, Wallace, will do this thing you wish. Heh.
Hah hah hah… Thank you, my friend…
So does Hitler own Wallace’s family? Because that’s not generally how friends talk.
And Zinnia! Back to existing in the plot, apparently?
… she says.
Mum… coos Aster.
Aster… says Zinnia. It’s over… It’s all over…
The old lady shows up. …Zinnia, my child.
…Grannie.
…You have worked so hard.
…
…It is enough, child. …Be done with your burden. Let it go now. For everything there must be an ending. Only then… Only then can there be a new beginning. This is immutable truth that all living things on this planet, great and small, must accept. We Draconids have seen it in our history, as you have seen it in your own life. Now is the time for rest. Let down the great burden you have borne so long alone…
Okay but why? Even assuming this is Zinnia’s last surviving family member, and their family was the only line of Draconids, that’s still one other person, so why was she just sitting this whole thing out?
So that you might at last take a step forward toward a new life. Now is the time for rest…
… replies Zinnia. … Yes. She nods to her whismur and then leaves it with her grandmother.
And then…oh god it’s still going. Now we’re in Lucki’s house, it looks like, and her parents are with Brendan’s parents.
I suppose Brendan and Lucki have probably arrived by now… says Birch. We can clearly see that Lucki’s dad is there not doing anything important, so why exactly couldn’t he and her mom go?
I imagine so, says Brendan’s mother.
The weather is good today. They should get a good view of the stars, says our mom.
But you know…I really am glad we moved here from Johto, says the lying liar who lies. I think that meeting you, Birch, and Mrs. Birch
ugh
and your boy, has had a huge impact on Lucki’s life.
NO IT DIDN’T DAD
Oh, it’s just the same for our Brendan, replies “Mrs. Birch”. Don’t you agree, dear?
Of course! Birch replies. Whenever he does make it home, all Brendan has to talk about is Pokemon and his pal Lucki.
Also wow the dialogue is all just so generally wonky.
I think he’s over the moon about this adventure and the great friend he’s found.
That’s nice for him but it’s not mutual so stop trying to make me hang out with someone who talks down to me.
I think our girl is just the same. She always looks so happy these days.
Mom I spent 99% of that time not interacting with Brendan!
I hope you’ll continue to look after our Lucki for many more years to come, says lying liar who lies.
Bwahahaha! Why, Norman! You don’t even have to ask… Nothing could make me happier!
Hahahaha… Thanks, old friend.
I don’t care that you think it’d be cute for me to be friends with your friend’s kid, your friend is a terrible parent who raised a terrible child.
…Well then, dear, isn’t it about time we were headed back home? I should get supper started…
Oh, yes! Those kids’ll probably be starving when they get home!
Oh, I didn’t make any plans yet for dinner… says our mom, because that is her only remaining purpose. What do you think we should have, dear?
Hmm. How about our little girl’s favorite?
And they head off to the kitchen, so I guess at least he helps with the cooking.
And oh god no it’s still going and there’s Brendan noooooooooooooooooooooo
At least it’s them running around without dialogue. If I didn’t hate Brendan so much by now, it’d even be cute.
That was kinda awesome. Wow. So those are the Litleonids, says Brendan. I’m really gonna have to thank your old man for this one.
You realize it was Mom who actually bought the tickets and all. Unless you’re referring to how his refusal to go is why you’re here now.
It’s like…I don’t know…I feel like I’ve been knocked flat on my back… …Thanks, Lucki. I’m really glad I got to see this with you.
There’s no one else here, so unless Brendan was so amazed he’s spent hours after it stopped sitting silently before managing to say it was awesome, I don’t know why everyone couldn’t come.
Announcement: Thank you for visiting the Mossdeep Space Center. This center will be closing shortly. Please make sure you don’t forget anything when you leave.
It’s true what they say, though. Time really flies when you’re having fun…
Then we’re back in Littleroot.
Well… Bye… He starts to go toward his house, then stops. … Lucki! See you tomorrow!
I’ll climb out my window and run for it tonight, then.
Lucki then heads for her own house. You’re back at last! Welcome home, Lucki!
And we’re done!
So – well, that was a thing.
Let’s see – graphics continue to be utterly gorgeous, but it really seems like it’s at the cost of actual gameplay. The levels of the Sky Pillar could never have been done like that in the original game, buuuuuuuut doing the cracked floor thing instead meant it was an actual challenge. I know the cracked floor didn’t make sense from a non-game perspective and having Zinnia running ahead of you would’ve just made that more obvious, but having a different puzzle, even just a maze, would’ve been fine.
I like the idea of the oxymoronic hidden pokemon and wouldn’t mind if those actually replaced the default mechanism (maybe have it work differently in dungeon areas or be level based, so that there’s still the component of getting worn down in tough areas but reduce the speedbump issue.) And I deeply appreciate there’s a way to get the special natures for pokemon, as well as make it a little easier to catch good stat and shinies – and the fact all those stack is a great idea. Still think it’d make more sense to just get rid of the punishingly low odds in the first place, though.
This game actually did a good job selling the whole hero business. The only parts that were heavy in NPC on NPC stuff was the idea I was invested in enemy team relationship drama, and that was actually pretty minor. I think the biggest problem wasn’t the NPCs talking to each other, it was just the writing of the games isn’t very good. While I generally liked Zinnia, I was specifically impressed that the game managed to do that without going all Douchy McFlamehair on us. Brendan needed to learn respect or fall off a cliff, though. Maybe part of this is that the localization is sticking closer to the original script and what’s considered acceptably condescending bullshit in Japan is more obviously irksome when put in English. A lot of this read similar to scanlations, and while a totally literal translation has its benefits when arguing about the author’s actual meaning, I would’ve really appreciated sanding off the Japanese sexism and totally don’t care about anyone who was bothered it wasn’t Yuki’s original characterization. Also would’ve appreciated it being just generally more readable. I’m willing to put up with the piles of ellipsis and other quirks when the script is good enough, but this really really wasn’t.
The plot that wasn’t how cool I was…wow, what a mess. Maybe part of it is that it was a remake and they wanted to change a ton of stuff to justify buying the new version, but it’s been a decade, they could’ve just sold the same thing with shinier graphics. Even if we just forget about the fact Steven turned out to be Hitler Jr of Holocaust Corp, Zinnia’s storyline is packed with asides that are clearly hinting at way more stuff to be revealed, except every single time the gameline does that, it fails to be properly implemented and just falls to the wayside. (I tried googling to see if I’d just missed something and only found out that wow people hate Zinnia a lot) Was she trying to do the Groudon plan because she thought summoning Rayquaza would kill her? But she was also apparently planning on suicide? And furthermore there’s nothing in the story to suggest Rayquaza summoning is dangerous to one’s health prior to that part. Possibly it’s because the version we got was edited so we wouldn’t interfere before she did the summons, but that’s a lot of layers when other bits of it are hammered into your head over and over again, and also Deoxys out of nowhere.
Also I just can’t forget that holy shit Steven is Hitler Jr of Holocaust Corp and the streetlights run on murdered pikachu and just what.
All the attempts to reference the sixth gen were pretty awful, honestly. Tall visitor everywhere. Everything in the modern day comes back to his super secret big deal weapon, Mega mega mega mega PRIMAL mega. I can’t even tell if it’s because they’re trying to capitalize on what people want or if they’re trying to ram it down everyone’s throats because people aren’t into it enough for them. In another game, the primal thing could be a neat way to explain how boss monsters can have ridiculous stats but then when you use them they don’t, except that’s a direct violation of Pokemon’s contract with the player so people get access to the primal form too so that can’t be too gamebreakingly powerful so then it’s exactly the same problem as people claiming regular Groudon can destroy the world but it’s okay for you to use it to beat up other people’s pokemon.
I liked the lore otherwise. I mean, I know it was mostly me reading extra into it, but that’s the benefit of flavor text and such! You have so many references to pokemon and human interactions. It’s easy to see Hoenn as being on the brink – things still look nice, pokemon are still there, but they’re entering into a downward spiral because humans have taken too much land and altered things in unforeseen ways, and their numbers continue to grow so calls for moderation and cutting back are countered with manifest destiny ideas. The whole bit about the rangers show being unpopular can stand in for how the average person feels more antagonistic to nature, viewing it as the one causing problems rather than the problems ultimately stemming from human changes.
I mean,
Dustox is instinctively drawn to light. Swarms of this Pokémon are attracted by the bright lights of cities, where they wreak havoc by stripping the leaves off roadside trees for food.
Diamond and X also say,
A nocturnal Pokémon. Drawn by streetlights, they messily eat the leaves of trees lining boulevards.